Aim So True
by reallygoodliars
Summary: AU NH - Haley James returns to her hometown, escaping a life she never wanted.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I used to have an account on a few years ago, but I forgot all my info. I will always and forever love Naley, so I was recently inspired to start a story loosely based on one of my favorite Naley fics, _Waiting and Wanting_, by AthenaNikePallas. It's a WIP and I'm not a serious fic writer, so no beta. Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks, RGLS

**Chapter 1**

"I'll take a medium sugar free, soy, chai latte, piping hot, with extra foam; make that extra foam, with a scoop of protein powder, if you have it. Please."

Karen slowly looked up from the register to take a look at one of her most demanding customers yet. The young girl wore fashion sunglasses, red lipstick, and had sun woven blonde hair past her shoulders. She looked like either an extremely out-of-place tourist or a student from one of the neighboring college towns, but it wasn't tourist season and schools were still in session. But then a small smirk graced the girl's lips and she pushed her sunglasses atop her head.

Karen gasped in recognition, bringing her hands to her mouth in shock. She slowly walked out from behind the counter, approaching the now familiar girl.

"Haley James, as I live and breathe..."

The young girl smiled bashfully with eyes bright, before throwing her arms around Karen.

Despite Haley's protests, Karen temporarily closed up shop, leaving two of her regulars to finish up their meals. As Karen bustled about, Haley took in the much changed appearance of the café. It still captured the warmth and comfort of a family den, but the booths and seating furniture had been upgraded and modernized. The walls had been given a soothing coat of dove grey in contrast to the orange and reds she remembered in her youth. And the walls were now heavily decorated in vibrantly colored frames of photographs and local artwork. The south facing wall held a shelving unit of mugs, recipe kits, and other cooking paraphernalia. Yes, Karen's Café had certainly blossomed into quite the flagship eatery in the heart of her hometown.

Karen placed a chocolate muffin and a steaming mug of coffee in front of her, before settling into the booth seat.

"I don't think I ever recall the Haley James that I remember drinking coffee, black, no less, but I will never forget your affection for anything chocolate."

Haley smiled broadly, touched that she had remembered.

"Thank you, Karen. I feel… I feel like such a stranger being back here, but… anyway, the familiarity is welcome,"

Karen reached across the table, tucking a strand of Haley's hair behind her ears. She smiled at her endearingly with bright eyes.

"You know that Tree Hill will always be home,"

Haley nodded, cupping the mug between her hands.

"So how long has it been now?" Karen counted to herself, "Eleven… no twelve years?" She let out a heavy breath and relaxed back into her seat with a look of total disbelief on her features.

"I can't believe you recognized me, after all this time,"

"It's been over a decade, so obviously you've matured… but that face, well, you've always had that youthfulness to you,"

It was ironic because years ago while living in this town, Haley couldn't wait to grow up.

"It's a good thing, Haley. If you don't appreciate your youth now, give it five years tops. You will definitely appreciate it then."

Haley stared down at the rouge stain now sitting on the brim of her cup, as she was flooded with memories.

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm doing here?"

"Haley, I've never been one to pry. Living in a small community like ours for as long as I have, I understand the need for privacy. But… is everything okay?"

She smiled meekly at the woman's considerate response.

"Yes, everything's okay. Well, it will be."

The two caught up on each other's lives, Karen revealing much more about her past twelve years so that Haley wouldn't have to.

Haley belonged to a large family, being the youngest of six children to Jim and Lydia James. Because of the significant age difference among her siblings, she had not identified with them. Even her second youngest sibling, Taylor, who was only four years older, and she had not related – but that was due to a personality conflict more than anything else.

When Haley had entered school, she'd been shy and introverted. But then Lucas Scott and she became classmates. And if possible, Lucas was even more introverted than she. He was popular, but not in a good way. His father, local basketball legend Dan Scott, had knocked up his high school sweetheart in their senior year, and then left her high and dry for college. Lucas was forced to carry a weight on his shoulders that no child should, and his mother was labeled as a tragedy that peaked in high school. To make it even weirder, Dan's younger brother, Keith had become a fixed part of Karen and Lucas's life. He was a father figure to his nephew and a supportive friend to his mother. It wasn't the controversy that drew Haley to become friends with Lucas, but the courage she saw in his face every day. He brought out confidence and strength in Haley and she had given him a clean slate, because she understood enough with her crazy household that opinions were just that, opinions.

Lucas became a brother to her, more than her own siblings had been. And Karen had become a second mother. It was at that time, she had opened up her café. What had once been a hobby and a curiosity became her livelihood. And so, Haley had grown up in that café.

They were silly enough to plan their futures around each other, even if they were headed in entirely different directions. Lucas wanted to stay close to home to stay close to his mother. He had always had his heart set on playing basketball at UNC and letting fate carry him where he needed to go next. Haley dreamt of new cities pulsating with culture and distant schools, even abroad. But she made UNC her plan A.

Then life happened. During the fall of their entry year into high school, news broke out about Dan Scott's reluctant return to Tree Hill; along with the addition of his wife and son.

_As soon as she had overheard her parents' conversation, Haley pedaled as fast as could down the familiar side streets to Lucas's house. After all, it wasn't every day that your best friend's absentee father returns to your hometown with his new family in tow. He needed her._

_"__Lucas? Luke! Answer the door!" She pounded her small fist against the side entrance door._

_After about ten minutes, she realized that he wasn't there. She immediately hopped on her bike and sped away to the only other place he could be._

_She dropped her bike unceremoniously onto the grassy field, exhausted. Giving herself a few seconds to catch her breath, she stared out towards the Rivercourt. There he was – laid out on the asphalt. He looked dead. When she reached the court, she laid down beside him wordlessly, taking his hand in her own._

_They stayed that way for what felt like a long time, before anything was said._

_"__Are you okay, Luke?" Haley asked in a voice barely above a whisper._

_"__I hate him for what he did to my mom, Hales. But I also hate that I kind of want to see him. I want to see how he acts with his… family."_

_"__It's only normal…"_

_He pulled his left arm away from his face where it had been covering his eyes to glance over at his best friend._

_"__This isn't normal! Our life is not normal! And everyone gets to watch it like it's some shitty movie and then make fun of it,"_

_He was sitting up now and had pulled his hand out of hers. She propped herself up beside him._

_"__No one's life is normal. And I thought you learned to ignore what __everyone__ thinks. You know and I know that it's really none of their damn business,"_

_His forehead crinkled and his nostrils flared as he began to lose control of his emotions. Scooting closer, she wrapped her arm around him, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulders._

_"__I'm worried for my mom," he said after a long pause._

_"__Have you talked to her? I mean, about how you feel?"_

_"__When she told me last night, I just… I don't know… I just spaced out. I didn't know how to feel. And for a second, I got mad at her. I know I shouldn't have, but sometimes I feel like I need to blame somebody."_

_"__Lucas—"_

_"__I know… it's not my mom's fault. I was just so frustrated. It's just… why the hell does he have to come back here of all places? It's like he wants to make us miserable for the rest of our lives."_

_"__Does Karen know why he came back?"_

_"__No," he answered softly._

_"__Well, maybe Keith knows something…" she offered gently. "Listen, you and your mom… you guys are not alone. You have Keith. And you know that I always have your back, right?"_

_ "__I know," he admitted, settling his chin on top of her head._

"_Because… you know, if… this guy… if he disrespects the family, then you let me take care of it," Haley joked in her best Italian accent._

_Lucas pulled away from her, eyeing her with a confused expression._

"_What was that? Christopher Walken?"_

_He broke out in laughter, his shoulders shaking, at the outraged look on her face. But she couldn't help but to laugh with him. The heavy feeling of sadness had dissipated and was suddenly replaced by a momentary relief of pure joy._

"We're having dinner at our house tonight, please come. It's kind of a tradition of sorts ever since Lucas officially moved out a couple of years ago. I'll tell everyone we're having a surprise guest,"

Karen smiled conspiratorially. Haley didn't need much convincing.

She left the café before the lunch rush began and decided to trek through the streets of the downtown area. It was mid-October, but it was still warm, somewhat humid out. But the heat was rejuvenating.

The new businesses and renovated buildings emphasized so much that had changed. It was almost overwhelming, but nothing she hadn't anticipated. After all, she knew that Tree Hill wasn't the only thing that had transformed. If anything, she realized that she was taking everything in with a fresh set of eyes because she had changed too.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for comments and alert subscriptions and favoriting! I appreciate the love. :) I forgot to mention that the title of this story is based a line from Gavin DeGraw's _Soldier_. Please enjoy, RGLS

As of 6/20/12 - I had to make a minor character change near the end of this chapter for other reasons. You shall see! Muahahahaha! OK but seriously, sorry about that.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Damnit!" he yelled.

He glared at his phone, watching it dance across the nightstand, vibrating noisily. He buried his face back into his pillow, willing himself to fall back asleep. It was useless.

Sighing tiredly, he got up from his bed and extended his arms straight up to stretch out his back muscles. Practice this week had been brutal with the upcoming start of the season. Whatever sleep he could get was precious to him and to have it interrupted was seriously fucked up.

He picked up his phone, not surprised to see one missed call from his mom and three missed calls from his dad.

"Hi sweetie, sorry to bother you… if I am bothering you. I was just trying to catch you live. You're still coming home for the weekend, right? Anyway, give me a call. Love you."

He sighed at his mom's voicemail, deleting it immediately.

"Nathan, your ass better not still be in bed. Your mother said you're coming into town this weekend, but I won't be there – in case she left that bit of information out, as she so frequently does. I may catch you on Sunday since I'm supposed to be flying back in that afternoon if all goes as planned. Anyway I already got my run in early this morning. I suggest you do the same."

Of course his dad loved to give him a good motivating talk first thing in the morning. His parents just couldn't cut him a fucking break. He felt bad for his mom at times, but often times he felt smothered by her insecurities. And his father was just a manipulative, domineering asshole. They'd gradually gotten worse as years had gone by and he suspected any day now to hear of their impending divorce. They were legally separated as of last year, but their marriage had started to deteriorate years ago.

Nathan had promised to visit this weekend, because he hadn't been back since he left in late August. He wasn't as concerned about his visits home though because he was much more focused on school this year, being that it was his last at Duke. Everything seemed to carry an air of finality to it; it all felt like a last chance at something, but of what he wasn't sure.

He had lived up his freshman year. He'd even screwed around part of his sophomore year. But during one of the first few games of his sophomore year, he'd had the opportunity to sub in for the injured shooting guard in a tough but winning game against Wake Forest. Instantaneously, he'd gained a bit of notoriety and recognition. His basketball career continued to skyrocket after that, and by the end of the first semester, he was done riding the bench. Last year, as a junior, Nathan Scott, was officially the first string shooting guard for the Blue Devils Varsity line-up and he took that responsibility very seriously. He was ready to graduate this upcoming year. But it was only a back-up plan. He breathed, ate, and slept basketball more than he ever had before. As more and more scouts invaded practices and rumors of the NBA drafts hovered heavily, he never felt at rest.

Straightening up and feeling more alert, he stared at the school emblem banner hanging on his wall.

"I am MVP of the year. I am the number one draft pick. I am the best." He quietly repeated his mantra under his breath and he got out bed to crank out his morning push-ups.

_"Mom, you have to watch me, okay? You count for me." Nathan smiled excitedly and he dropped to the floor._

_He'd watched his father perform push-ups so many times. He'd improved over the summer and now he could whip out 30 in a row, no problem._

_Deb forced a smile on her face. She'd just been in a fight with her husband, again. It hurt her to see her son work so hard to impress his father, whom she couldn't stand right now._

_Despite their arrival in a new town and an opportunity for a fresh start, she had never been more miserable. She understood that yes, it wasn't the best choice to move to her husband's hometown. She'd heard all of the rumors, hell, she knew the stories; how Dan Scott had gotten his naïve high school girlfriend pregnant and left her behind because of his selfish ways. She knew now but she hadn't known back when he'd swept her off her feet years ago. In fact, she hadn't known until after Nathan had been born._

_But after several failed attempts at launching a sports management agency, funded by her father, they had run out of choices. They were struggling to keep their head above water. Thankfully her father had one last offer to give them and that was one of his dealerships in Tree Hill. It was going to be a difficult transition for Nathan, since they had moved from northern Virginia; mostly having to deal with the nature of a small town and Dan's haunting past. She was prepared, but it was her son she worried for._

_Nathan finally collapsed onto his stomach, exhausted from his efforts. He rolled to his side, gazing up at his mother proudly._

_"How many was that?" He asked between heavy breathes._

_"That was amazing, honey. I think it was 32. I lost count because you were doing them so fast," she smiled as brightly as she could._

_Her cell phone rang and then her focus was elsewhere. The movers had yet to arrive and she was expecting a call from her father._

_Nathan watched as his mom walked away, before offering him one last tense smile._

_She didn't even seem to notice how hard it actually was to do that many push-ups. And she must really have not been paying attention because he'd done 40 exactly. He rolled onto his back, tired and disappointed as he stared at the ornate ceiling in the kitchen. Usually, his dad was the one who didn't impress easily, but now his mom seemed to have lost interest as well. It was nice to have her around more since she had come home from last business trip, but she seemed really distracted. Nathan couldn't notice the difference from when she was gone and having her home._

_He kind of understood that life was crazy right now. They had had to move to this dumb town because 'they had run out of options', his mother had explained. He missed his friends and school in Virginia. But that wasn't even why he hated this place. The weird thing was that he apparently had an older brother living here who his father never talked about. His mom had explained everything to him a few months ago but it was still hard to believe. He was definitely upset, because it was such a big secret to keep from him. But it wasn't like he could get mad at his dad. His dad was always right. In addition to the anger he felt, he was also curious. Did this boy, who was supposedly his brother, know about him? If he did, why hadn't he ever tried to reach out to him? But the one question that really ate away at him was… if he had switched places with this brother of his, would he be the forgotten son?_

The wind whipped through the open car windows, as Nathan sped along I-40. He had always liked that in the middle of autumn it could be perfectly warm outside. That was coastal Carolina weather. It was almost 2 o'clock, so he was making good time. But considering that he left Durham before noon on a Friday of a non-holiday weekend, he wasn't expecting much traffic.

He'd talked to his mother, on the first leg of the trip. Karen was hosting dinner tonight and she wanted Nathan to be there. While he could refuse his mom, he could rarely refuse Karen; especially if she was cooking. She'd mentioned a special guest, but Nathan figured that Lucas was finally going to bring his girlfriend to one of these dinners, which in his opinion wasn't anything special since those two had been itching to get together since high school. He hoped her presence would distract everyone from bugging him about his 'love affairs' as Lucas so lovingly put it. Nathan hadn't been in a serious relationship since his senior year of high school but he wasn't looking for one either. He was having fun when he could, but commitment wasn't something he could conjure up right now, not to any one girl. But he was 22 now, so his relationship status was a non-issue. They should be more concerned about his brother's lazy ass getting hitched.

About an hour later, as he drove through the familiar streets of Tree Hill, he pulled into the Coast View apartment complex.

Lucas answered the door, squinty eyed and clearly half asleep.

"Sup, Nate," he greeted him groggily.

He barely held the door open for him, before collapsing onto the couch in the living room. Nathan followed suit, sliding into the reclining chair beside him.

"You know it's like 3 in the afternoon, right?" He smirked at his brother, who looked ready to pass out again.

"I, uh, had a deadline this morning, so I had to pull an all-nighter,"

Lucas gestured to his kitchen table where his laptop, a stack of papers, pens, three crushed cans of Red Bull, and a grease-stained paper plate sat. His brother was a junior editor at a local publishing firm and dabbled with some online editorial work as well. Nathan couldn't even understand why anyone would want to do anything like that for the rest of their life. It was like being in school, forever.

"Apparently," he commented.

His brother groaned loudly, dragging his hands down his unshaved face.

"Can't believe you woke up when I called then," Nathan added.

"I needed to get up anyway. Have you seen your mom yet?"

"Nah, I gotta mentally prep myself before she suffocates me with her concern. Is it cool if I chill here for a bit?"

Lucas eyed him skeptically. "Dude, she's your mom. You have to be more understanding. That's a mom's job, you know, to care about you and stuff,"

"Words of wisdom, by Lucas Scott,"

"I'm too tired for your sarcasm. And don't try to avoid the topic. I'm just saying that you should cut her some slack. But yeah, you're fine to stay here. I'd invite you to crash here over the weekend, but instead I'm going to highly recommend that you stay at your mom's," he smiled teasingly.

Nathan made a face.

"Right, like I'd want to stay here so I can listen to you and your girlfriend all weekend,"

"Huh? Brooke?"

"Huh? No, Lindsay,"

"Hah, very funny," Lucas rolled his eyes at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name. "Did you talk to Brooke or something?"

Nathan looked strangely at his older brother. "Why would I ever willingly want to talk to Brooke? Mom just mentioned that we were having a special guest a dinner tonight, so I figured you were going to officiate your dating status or whatever. I thought she'd be here with you."

"I already brought Brooke to dinner like a month ago," Lucas answered, looking equally as puzzled.

"Oh,"

"Which, went really well by the way, thanks for asking,"

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Brooke could charm the pants off a gay man. I wasn't really worried about her,"

"I'm not sure whether to be offended by that or not,"

Ignoring his brother's comment, he asked, "Wait, then, who the hell's coming to dinner tonight?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks followers for your support/feedback! This story may be a little slow but I love a gradual build-up. :p Sorry!

I've been re-watching OTH from the very beginning for inspiration. Gahhh! S1 NH is to die for. Anyway, expect the next chapter up very soon! Thanks, RGLS

**Chapter 3**

Haley drove through her old neighborhood, waves of nostalgia hitting her as she passed her old school, her old home, and finally as she pulled into her childhood friend's street. She appeared to be the last one to arrive, since the driveway and front of the house was blocked by cars. She parked across the street. She grabbed the bouquet of fresh lilies from her passenger seat and a box of peanut brittle, she'd picked up at the farmer's market. It appeared that Karen had maintained the house in pristine condition and kept everything to its original quality. The only obvious addition was that of a playground set in the backyard that she could see from the driveway. She felt a mixture of nervous excitement bubbling in her stomach.

She knocked on the door, once, then twice, listening for footsteps. When she heard none, she balanced the box of treats on her hip and the bouquet in the same hand, as she tried to quickly readjust the top of her dress.

Suddenly, the front door swung open. Startled, Haley jumped back a little. She felt the box slipping from her side, right before the young man who'd answered the door, saved her from dropping her gifts and from toppling over.

"Are you okay?" The depth of his voice sent a delicious chill down her back.

"Uh, well, save for the embarrassment, I think I'll live," she laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, uh… this is Karen Roe… I mean, Karen Scott's house, correct?"

Nathan stared at this stranger in wonder. Why did she seem so familiar? He tried to absorb everything at once, the brightness of her eyes, the fullness of her lips, even the musical quality to her voice. He tried to remember.

She looked at him quizzically, breaking his train of thought. Oh God, he must look like a freak right now.

"Oh, sorry, yeah. This is Karen's house,"

"You made it!" Karen appeared from behind her nephew. "Nathan, this is our surprise guest. You remember Haley James, don't you?"

His breath caught in his throat, when the recognition hit him.

"Well, come on in. Oh, Haley, these are beautiful. You shouldn't have," Karen gushed at the gifts that Nathan was holding. "Nathan, could you please put those in the kitchen,"

Karen was quick to grab Haley's hand, escorting her to the back patio, where everyone was. Nathan followed the pair, but stopped a few feet away as he watched Haley being enveloped by hugs. He even watched somewhat enviously as his brother, held her longer than necessary and lifted her off her feet. She hadn't even taken a second glance at him though.

_Nathan shook his right leg unconsciously as he stared out the car window. He felt like throwing up or passing out. Today was the day that his mom was taking him to meet Lucas Scott, his half-brother. His mom was friends… or at least was trying to be friendly with Lucas's mom, so they had jointly decided to let the boys meet. He looked over at his mom who seemed to be driving extra slow today._

_"You feel okay, sweetie?"_

_"I guess," he answered non-committedly._

_"Ms. Roe and I are going to have some coffee and talk. I know your father doesn't agree, but I think you should have to opportunity to get to know… her son. We don't have to be there long. If you get tired or if you start to feel uncomfortable, you just tell me, and we'll go home,"_

_He nodded._

_It was early Sunday evening, when they drove up to a small, but cozy looking house. All the lights were lit on the inside and produced a warm and welcoming glow against the fading daylight._

_A pretty woman that had the same color hair as him answered the door. She was really nice, but she seemed so different from his mom. She even told him to call her by her first name, Karen. He couldn't help but to think about his dad and imagine them together. Then, a teen boy entered the living room hesitantly, with his hands jammed in his back pockets. How could this boy be his brother? He had blonde hair and freckles. They looked nothing alike. But when the boy made eye contact with him, he saw his own blue eyes looking back at him._

_"Uh, Hi Mrs. Scott,"_

_The boy shook his mom's hand politely and then turned to him._

_"Hey… Nathan, right?"_

_Nathan stood still, a hair's width away from his mom. "Yeah. I'm Nathan."_

_The blonde boy seemed to relax a little before replying, "Well, I'm Lucas. It's nice to finally meet you,"_

_For some reason, Nathan could tell that he meant what he said._

_"You've got a killer arm," Lucas complimented him, as he heaved the football in Nathan's direction._

_He flushed a little, considering that someone five years older than him thought his arm was strong._

_"I don't really play football. Sometimes, I do with my friends in recess, but my dad only lets me play basketball at home,"_

_Nathan caught the change in expression in Lucas's eyes at the mention of his dad. He forgot that his dad… their dad was a sore subject and immediately felt stupid._

_"Pucas!"_

_The two boys turned to see a girl running in their direction strapped with a messenger bag and a big book in her hands. Nathan tried not to laugh at the nick name. She came to a halt when she saw the younger boy._

_"You… must… be… Nathan… Scott!" she exclaimed, panting heavily._

_He took a step back, surprised that she knew his name._

_"Hales, you're scaring him," Lucas said sarcastically._

_She waved Lucas off, bending over to catch her breath. When she composed herself, she stood up and smiled brightly at Nathan._

_"I've heard you found out you're related to this weirdo, I am truly sorry," she joked, before clapping a hand over Nathan's shoulder._

_He laughed a little, chancing a look at his brother, who actually looked amused. She pulled her hand away from his shoulder, but it left a tingling sensation there almost like he was still feeling her hand._

_"In all seriousness, it's really nice to meet you, Nathan,"_

_She reached out to shake his hand, just like he was an adult or something. It made him feel cool, but he was really eager to just feel her hand again. Yep, now his right hand was tingling too._

_"Nathan, this, unfortunately, is my best friend, Haley,"_

_"Ms. James, if ya nasty!" she exclaimed._

_"Okay, seriously, how much sugar have you had today?" Lucas asked._

_She gasped dramatically, before slapping a textbook to her friend's chest._

_"I came all the way here to lend you my lit book, and you dare insult me," she narrowed her eyes at him._

_"You're like in hyper drive, that's all I'm saying,"_

_"Well, as soon as I got home from the café, I hauled my butt over here, so if my adrenaline is intimidating you, you can seriously suck it, Luke,"_

_"Okay, okay, I'm sorry,"_

_She made a face indicating that she was clearly not convinced._

_He sighed, dropping down on one knee and plead, "Forgive me?"_

_Nathan laughed at their antics, drawing Haley's attention. She quirked an eyebrow and said, "You think we should leave him here like this?"_

_Nathan nodded quickly, still laughing._

_"I like you! Come on, you like ice cream? I know where Lucas hides the good stuff,"_

_He followed her, before hesitantly looking at his brother. Lucas got up, dusting off his knee and gestured for Nathan to go inside._

_"Don't fall for her magic," Lucas stage whispered, following his younger brother._

_But Nathan felt like he already had._

Everyone sat around the patio, enjoying the refreshing evening air and watching Keith play with Lily. Haley was not surprised to find out that Keith and Karen had married only a few years after she had moved from Tree Hill. Lily had been born a year after that, and was now seven years old. She was brown haired and brown eyed like her mother, but freckled like her older half-brother. Haley wasn't sure, but she also thought Lily had an uncannily similar smirk to her father's.

"It's getting a little chilly. I'm going to head inside," Karen said, while grabbing some of the emptied glasses.

"Here, Karen, let me help you,"

Deb got up as well, smiling at the three young adults as she scurried inside.

Nathan reclined back against one of the wicker chairs, watching Haley from the corner of his eye, as she looked wistfully at his Uncle and daughter play.

Lucas and Haley sat together on the wrought iron love seat. They wouldn't move more than a few feet from each other the whole night, it seemed.

"So, you're back… for good?" Lucas asked, polishing off the rest of his beer.

"For now," she said quietly.

"Are your parents going to stay in Arizona, or… did they plan on moving here too?"

"Nope, just me. You know just as well as I do that the James clan was always meant to roam."

She turned to Nathan, including him in the conversation.

"When I was growing up, we were never a full household. At least two of the kids were already out on their own. And even if one came back, another one was already out the door," she then added, turning back to Lucas, "I told you, Vivian and her family are in South Africa and Taylor is doing God knows what in Eastern Europe. And for some reason, I got pulled here,"

"Shit, well, I'm glad you did," Lucas admitted freely. He got up slowly, stretching out his arms. "I'm gonna get another beer, you want one, Nate? Haley?"

Nathan shook his head 'no' and Haley did the same. And then it was just the two of them watching Keith and Lily.

"You've been exceptionally quiet, tonight," Haley said to Nathan.

He glanced at her briefly, afraid to make eye contact. But he slouched in his chair, feigning indifference.

"I'm just tired. I drove in earlier today, so…" he shrugged.

"Oh, I get it. You're too cool for us old folks, huh?" She felt dumb for saying it, but it was obvious how bored he must be, having dinner with family on a Friday night.

"Nah, it's cool. Most of my friends are still in school, anyway, since it's not a holiday weekend. And it was worth it to see Lucas almost cry over seeing you,"

"Hey, we're BFFs fo' life. He can cry if he wants. It's cool," she defended jokingly.

Nathan laughed at that, his voice slightly echoing into the night air. Haley shivered.

"Are you cold?" He asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he slid off his Duke sweater. Haley turned away when she saw his t-shirt ride up, exposing part of his stomach, right where the top of his jeans met his pelvic bone.

"Here." He handed it to her.

She hesitated only briefly, enthralled by his lingering musk on the hoodie, before she slipped right into it.

"You look like you're 12 in my hoodie," he commented with a laugh.

"Figures. I think I could live in here."

He chuckled, "Don't worry, it's cute,"

She blushed, thankful that it had significantly darkened outside.

"Speaking of… I can't believe how many years it's been. I think the last time I saw you… you were only 10. Now that – that was cute,"

"Hey, I like to think that I'm still pretty cute," he responded challengingly with a smirk.

"Haley, is Nate smothering you with his ego?" Lucas popped his head out the glass door.

"Hey, hey, I'm just stating the facts," Nathan replied smoothly.

Haley admired the two brothers arguing back and forth. Their relationship was so effortless now.

"Don't fall for his magic, Hales," Lucas warned.

Haley caught eyes with his younger brother for a moment.

"I'm serious. He's a womanizer, from what I hear," Lucas added teasingly.

Nathan tried his best not to react to his brother's joke. He usually didn't take those kinds of comments personally, but it bothered him for Haley to think of him that way.

"Hell, if I was a star player for the Blue Devils and as good looking as Nathan, I'd be a womanizer too!" She claimed, giving Nathan a private wink.

He gave her a small smile but on the inside, he carried a feeling that was big and luminous.

The dinner came to a close shortly after that.

"So tomorrow, then?" Haley said, confirming her one-on-one plans with Lucas, as she stood in the foyer.

Keith suddenly appeared in the hall. "Luke, your sister is asking for you. She wants _another_ bedtime story,"

Lucas smiled sweetly at the mention of his sister. "I'll be right there," he said. "Here, let me walk you to your car," he said to Haley.

"Please, Lucas, I think I'll survive the 30 foot walk," she teased.

She said her farewells and walked down the sidewalk towards her car.

"Haley!"

Just as she reached her car, she turned to see Nathan walking towards her with something in his hands.

"Hey,"

"Um, Karen wanted you to take some of the leftovers home. She said there's dessert in there, too,"

Nathan handed her a brown paper gift bag, still warm with food.

"Oh, wow… thanks! So, you headed back tomorrow?"

He brought his hand to the back of his neck as he spoke, "Uh, I'm actually heading out on Sunday morning. You know, to spend some time with my mom,"

The gesture made him seem younger and it reminded her of the Nathan she used to know, albeit briefly.

"That's sweet. So, I guess, we won't be seeing you until Thanksgiving then. Although, I might have to join Luke on a one of those trips to see your games. I remember how talented you were,"

The compliment was unexpected. "Yeah, that would be cool. I can always get free tickets so…"

"So… yeah. Until we meet again," she said, saluting him.

He saluted her back with a smile.

"It was really good to see you again," he responded.

They stood there for a long second before she briefly squeezed him on his shoulder. He should've let her just leave after that; he had meant to, but instead he bent forward to embrace her gently. It warmed him to the bone. He waited for her to get in the car and pull away, all the while noticing that she had taken his hoodie with her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for commenting and following this story! Enjoy this next chapter. :)

**Chapter 4**

Haley scrounged around for her cellphone, beneath the shuffle of papers littered on her desk.

"Hello? Hello? Lucas?"

"Hey, you okay? You sound a little panicked…"

She fell back into her chair, glad to have picked up in time.

"No, I'm fine. I just couldn't find my phone for a second. I'm drowning in essays at the moment. But how's your day going?"

Her friend chuckled at the false cheeriness in her voice.

"You and I are disgustingly similar. You have essays… I have manuals. What are we going to do with ourselves?" he joked.

"Hmm… how about… drinks tonight?"

"Hell yes,"

After hanging up the phone with Lucas, she stared blankly at the pile of papers. She felt mentally burnt out. Her schedule had changed drastically, with her new job. Haley had been hired during the middle of the semester as a substitute instructor at the local community college, for two English 100 courses. When one of the English professors had decided to resign due to personal reasons, she'd been offered four Creative Writing classes as a permanent position. She felt blessed for the opportunities that had been presented to her, but sometimes she forgot to take time out for herself.

When she did have a moment, she found herself reflecting on things she didn't want to think about. So instead, she continued to immerse herself in her work and in spending time with old friends and new. For her sake, she tried not to be alone in her thoughts.

"Knock, knock,"

Haley looked up see another faculty member at her door.

"You look like a student," she deadpanned.

Chris Keller came into the room in worn jeans and an equally abused plaid button up shirt.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he smirked, leaning onto her desk.

She had met Chris during her first week on campus. He was brazen and a little flamboyant, but she didn't expect any less from the music department head and aspiring singer. He was passionate and ambitious, so she found it odd that he had was teaching in a small town like theirs. But everyone had their back stories.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" She asked, as she started organizing the files on her desk.

"It's Friday, I was wondering what you're doing tonight,"

"Oh, um, I'm actually going to grab a beer with Lucas at the Marina,"

"You and that Lucas. Are you sure there isn't some Joey loves Dawson scenario happening there?"

"Gross. And I have I mentioned that your knowledge of pop culture frightens me?"

He rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. "Fine. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Actually, you know what – you should come tonight! It's about time you and Lucas meet – I think you guys would get along really well,"

"What a tool!"

Haley laughed at Lucas's comment.

"Don't say that! Chris is… eccentric, but he's a nice guy. Don't take him so seriously," she admonished. "He's been really nice to me since I started working there."

"That's because you're a pretty girl and he's an obviously single guy,"

"Did you just call me a pretty? I think I may have died and gone to heaven." She fanned herself exaggeratedly.

Lucas didn't seem amused. He pulled into his apartment complex, parking in his regular spot.

"Contrary to popular belief, just because a good looking guy pays a girl some attention, doesn't mean she's going to throw out all logic." She got out of the car, with her purse and coat, pausing before adding, "Okay, well, maybe not _all_, but definitely some,"

"Good looking? Really?" He blanched at that, as the two started walking to his apartment.

"Luke, you're overreacting. Chris and I are just friends,"

"Does he know that?"

She looked at her friend strangely, before throwing her arm over his shoulder.

"Relax, Lucas. Besides, he's completely convinced that you and I are best friends secretly destined to become lovers,"

He cringed, but didn't completely pull away from Haley.

"Seriously?"

She reached for his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"You're telling me that you've never had second thoughts about… us?"

She batted her eyelashes for good measure.

"Stop playing around," he warned.

"You know… we can always watch _Supernatural_ reruns… later…" she said suggestively.

"Haley! That's not funny!" He exclaimed.

She chased him through the rest of the lot, as he shouted obscenities at her, until they finally reached his front door.

It was amazingly natural how Lucas and Haley had rebuilt their friendship. Despite the missing years, they were able to ease into the same type of relationship they'd always had.

Lucas did eventually stop fussing, though Haley was pretty sure it was only because of the distraction of an agreed upon _Supernatural_ marathon and pizza binge. The 'Chris topic' was squashed for now.

"You're coming with me to Nathan's game, right?" Lucas yelled out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, of course. Next Friday, right?"

Haley hadn't seen Nathan since she'd first arrived in Tree Hill over a month ago at Karen's house. But she had thought about the younger Scott brother, quite a few times. Lucas talked about him pretty often and from that perspective alone, it was obvious how close they were. It was bizarre to see the dynamics of their relationship change between the two brothers. Right before she had moved from Tree Hill so many years ago, the two had barely gotten to know each other. She'd only had a chance to know Nathan for less than six months, before her dad's job had relocated the family to Arizona.

In the time that she had known him, he was quick to warm up to both Lucas and Haley. As time passed, she had realized that while he was timid at first, much like his brother, Nathan wore his heart on his sleeve and possessed the same fiery determination. She wondered what kind of man he'd grown into.

_Haley lay on her stomach, swinging her feet as she carefully went through her geometry worksheet. She felt Lucas nudge her in the side with his sneaker clad foot._

"_Rude!" She accused him, pushing his foot away._

"_I have a favor," he said softly._

_She looked at him pointedly. "So, you're going to kick me with your dirty shoe?"_

"_Way to exaggerate," he replied._

_Haley stuck her tongue out at him, continuing to work out a problem on the page._

"_So… um… Deb is dropping off Nathan tomorrow at the café, like just him. He's going to sleepover,"_

"_Wow," she said, sincerely surprised._

_Nathan had come over a few times over the past month, but it was always with his mother. They mostly came to the café, since that's where Karen usually was. Deb and Karen actually got along really well, so while the two of them would chit chat nearby, Lucas would spend time with Nathan, usually keeping their visits pretty short. Haley had played third wheel on a couple of occasions, but only because her shifts at the café had coincided with their visits. She tried her best not to interfere with their time together._

"_What about Dan? Is he like out of town or something?"_

"_I don't know. I didn't ask," he hesitated, obviously distracted by the thought of his father. "Anyway, she's going to Norfolk to visit family. Mom offered to have him sleepover. So… do you think, you could be there… for like support or whatever?"_

_She giggled at him, she couldn't help it._

"_Lucas, would you relax? Nathan will be fine even if his mom isn't five feet away. I mean, I don't mind hanging out with you guys, but don't you think it's something you two should do together?"_

_He groaned, leaning back into his computer chair._

"_He makes me nervous," he admitted, refusing to look at his best friend._

_She averted her attention from her homework. "What? Why? He's a ten-year-old kid. And he's sweet,"_

"_I don't know… it's just, it's really, really hard to be myself around him. He looks so much like _him_…"_

_And by _him_, Haley knew he was referring to their father. She had never truly hated anyone in her life, but for Lucas and his mom, she did loathe the person that Dan Scott was to them._

"_I know you don't blame Nathan," Haley said confidently of her friend._

"_I know and I don't. I just don't want to do or say the wrong thing and push him away. He's already really closed off,"_

"_He's closed off? Do you even remember yourself in elementary school? Because of you, I was seriously convinced that boys got their periods too and that the whole world was in on some conspiracy to cover it up or something,"_

_Lucas laughed at her admission. She was very good at bringing the humor and positive perspective to things. It was definitely one of her gifts._

"_I don't think he likes me."_

"_Okay, now you're just making crap up," she argued. "But you know what? Being the awesome, considerate, best friend that I am – I think I can grace you with my presence tomorrow evening,"_

_Nathan was wide awake on the living room sofa. He rolled to his side to catch a glimpse of Lucas and Haley, who had camped out on the floor in front of the television; except, Haley was no longer there. Even her sleeping bag was missing; he wondered sadly if she had gone home. For a just a minute, he watched Lucas breathing deeply, curled into his blankets. It was kind of strange to see him so unguarded._

_He decided to go to the bathroom, since he couldn't sleep anyway. Standing up from the couch, he crept around it to avoid stepping on Lucas. But then, he noticed that the back porch door was slightly ajar. Only guided by starlight, he walked towards the back deck surprised to Haley lying on the deck in her sleeping bag._

"_Haley?" He whispered._

_She abruptly sat up from her spot, leaning back on her hands._

"_Nathan! What are you doing up?" She whispered somewhat curtly._

_He stood there motionless, feeling suddenly like an intruder. Haley didn't seem pleased._

"_I… I just couldn't sleep,"_

_But then her face softened into a smile as she pat the space beside her._

"_I couldn't either."_

_He plopped down next to her, instantly warmed by the body heat her sleeping bag had absorbed._

"_So, what were you doing out here? Were you going to sleep out here by yourself?"_

_She pressed back further into her palms and sighed dreamily as she stared heavenward. "I was just star gazing,"_

_The way she said it made it sound so exciting, when in reality, Nathan had never had a desire to just watch the sky. He mimicked her, sitting back and looking up as he tried to find what it was that entranced her._

"_You know what I think is so cool?" she asked, but then laughed softly to herself. "Well… you probably don't care but, I'm going to share with you anyway… it doesn't matter where you are; I could be on the other side of the world, but the stars will always look the same,"_

_Mesmerized by her voice, he stopped watching the sky to focus in on her as she continued to speak._

"_I think that even after I die, or even after my kid's kids die, the stars will always look the same. I don't know… to me, that's just so amazing. They are ancient, beyond old, but when you look at stars you don't think that. You think about how it looks like you're always seeing them for the first time. I want to be able to… create something like that… like a painting… or a song… or… oh, I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore," she laughed it off._

_But the expression on her face as she described these burning balls of fire, the emotion in her voice, this moment would be forever stained in Nathan's mind. It was just one of the memories he would collect about her._

_Bravely, he slid his hand closer, letting just two fingers lay on top of her left hand. She looked at him in surprise, before he affirmed, "I believe you could make something like that."_

_And Nathan's statement had been permanently ingrained in Haley as well._

"How's he doing by the way? Have you talked to him lately?" Haley prodded.

She and Lucas settled in his living room, as the television murmured in the background.

Lucas sat back with a sigh, dropping a couple slices of pizza on a paper plate.

"We talked on Monday… or Tuesday, I can't remember. But, he seems okay."

"Just okay? Is he okay with managing both school and basketball?"

"He's really started to buckle down since last year. His grades have jumped drastically from his freshman year, so I know he'll be fine this year. I know his mom and my family are really proud of him. Hell, I'm proud of him," he gave her a crooked smile, seemingly abashed at giving his brother a compliment.

"I think I told you already that… well, Nathan, didn't do that well in high school. He barely got into Duke, mostly because of basketball, but also because he worked twice as hard his senior year. He's such a private person and he doesn't like to share much, but I _know_ that Dan rides him a lot. I mean, I didn't really believe it, but it did sit in the back of my mind for years… that… that I was the unlucky one.

Haley set a reassuring hand on her friend's hand from where she sat on the floor.

"But, I had Keith. My mom and I… we both had Keith this whole time. So, I can't say that I was unlucky, ever. But Nathan – I can see Dan's influence in him from time to time. Not to say that Nathan is anything like Dan, but he can be extremely hard on himself. Deep down, I think Dan's judgment really resonates with him and it shouldn't,"

"Nathan has also had Deb though. And she made the right decision back then to bring you and your family into his live. If anything, he's had that benefit,"

Seeing the faraway look on his best friend's face, Lucas asked, "You okay?"

"Huh? No, it's just… it's surreal that I missed out on some of the most important years of your life. I remember how hard you tried to… to just be Nathan's brother. And now… here you are,"

Lucas's features softened at her confession. He then slid off the couch to join her on the floor, before wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"You must forget the years that we _did_ have together. Those were some of my most important years too," he reminded her.

She smiled, feeling comforted by his encouraging words. "It's been hard… to move away from this person I became and the people I was surrounding myself with. It's like following down a certain path, only to realize you have to take another route, a different way. And I know you understand that. As much as you didn't want to face it, everything with Dan… you did. And look at how much better of a person you've become because of it. You beat the odds, Luke, you really did. Sometimes, I feel like I'm only running away."

Lucas embraced her in a hug.

"After your family moved, my mom and I used to talk about you every so often. We called you Haley the Brave. And we'd laugh about all the crazy things you used to do. Like when you tried to save Rocket, when he had to be put to sleep. And, oh God, your attachment to spiders. Every time someone tried to kill one, you had to take it home. I think you had at least 30 in that stupid terrarium at one point,"

She laughed at the memory.

"But I don't think you realize the number of times you saved me. You really were the only person that I told everything to and you always reassured me to do the right thing and make the best decisions, no matter how angry… or how defeated I felt."

He glanced at her, offering her a smile.

"You're going to be okay, Hales. It doesn't always feel like the right choice, but you did the best thing you possibly could for yourself. It's okay to save yourself, once in a while,"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to everyone following along, hope you're enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. I had to make a slight character change to Chapter 2, so make sure you heck that! It's near the end.

And I apologize in advance from some of the "ships" in this story. Trust me, I hate them as much as you do but it was important for the story!

**Chapter 5**

Nathan exited the gym. Even though he'd taken it easy today, he felt exhausted. He'd had his first two winning games in the past week and the season was only just beginning. He mumbled along to some lyrics as he walked through the lobby. Nathan stopped mid-sentence and pulled his ear buds out, upon seeing a familiar person entering the building. She looked surprised.

"Where the fuck have _you_ been?"

She stood there with an expectant look on her face; she was waiting for some sort of explanation. Rachel Gattinawas every boy's wet dream in a cheerleading skirt; that is, if you were into red heads. Nathan could tolerate it. He was not a one woman type of guy, but he'd slept with Rachel on more than one occasion and he didn't hate it. She also clearly understood the boundaries of a no-nonsense fuck buddy relationship. He let her think she controlled the parameters of their so-called relationship, so it usually happened when she was horny and angry; only Nathan hadn't messed around with her for over a month. He hadn't slept with anyone actually. Seeing her now was just a reminder.

"Around," he replied in a bored tone. He swung his duffel bag around his shoulder and began fishing around for his keys.

"Definitely not _around_ anyone's skirts recently… what? Have you gone gay on me, Scott?"

Nathan gave her an unamused look.

"I don't hear from you in like… forever. But then, I realize that I don't hear a thing about you in the pathetic sorority gossip circles and I definitely know you didn't screw anyone from the cheer squad. You know they love sharing that shit, cock-sucking whores,"

Clearly, Rachel has a lot of friends.

"I'm not in the mood, Rach,"

She narrowed her eyes at him, before smiling devilishly. "You met someone," she said accusingly. "Girl or guy… I don't know. But _someone_ has definitely been keeping you busy,"

Rachel was always up for a good lay and if she couldn't get that, she liked mind fucks too, sometimes even more so.

He took a couple of deep breaths, letting his anger loll to a dull roar.

"Basketball keeps me busy. School keeps me busy. Not sleeping with the whole team roster, second string included," he said condescendingly. "Find someone else to keep you entertained. Oh, and fuck off while you're at it," he said dismissively.

Nathan pushed past her, ready to leave before his temper blew. But she grabbed his arm.

"Jesus Christ, Nathan, relax. I'll shut up about it," she argued defensively, letting her hand slide up to his bicep. "Besides, it's not exactly my conversation you're interested in, anyway."

She squeezed his arm, letting her nails sink in a little.

He recoiled inwardly. Rachel was in one of those moods between pissed off and turned on. Normally, that was a combination that worked in his favor. But today, it was clear that she was being pathetic and a little needy.

Gently removing her hand, he took a step back from her.

"Well, I'm not really interested. And I probably won't be for a long while." he said resolutely.

He glanced down at her, daring her to challenge his rejection. Despite her obviously heated mood, for a brief second, he recognized something softer in her eyes.

"Call me when you need a good distraction," she responded a little tersely. It came out forced.

When he got to his car, he stood there blankly for a bit before getting in. He braced the steering wheel with his left hand, pressing his face into his forearm. Nathan sat there collecting himself, he just needed a minute.

* * *

_Nathan pressed his forehead against the cool metal locker; he just needed a minute. He was nervous. He was the only 10-year-old who had made it into the Junior League winter basketball season; everyone else was already in middle school. And tonight was their first game. He took a seat off to the side of the unfamiliar locker room of Myrtle Grove middle school. It made him feel almost like a pro, to have a real locker room and everything. But his other teammates were too familiar; they already went to school here or one of the other middle schools in the district. He'd learned to keep cool in the face of fear, but he could tell – they just didn't seem as into it as he was._

_"Alright, listen up!" Coach Branston yelled over everyone's conversations._

_Nathan tuned out as the Coach went on about trying this, and trying that. To top it off, he concluded his speech with, "Have fun!" It was the worst pep talk he'd ever witnessed. If his dad had heard, he probably would've punched the coach in the face and taken over. It was unsettling to know that some, probably most, of his teammates weren't half as serious as he was._

_They walked out, almost lethargically to the court. Nathan shook his wrists out, loosening up the bunched up nerves running up and down his arms. When he played today, he wanted complete control of his hands._

_No room for stupid mistakes, as his dad put it._

_"Nathan,"_

_He started for a second, but recognized his father among less than 100 other spectators. He sat alone on the front bleacher with a video camera in his lap. He nodded once with a firm look on his face._

_Don't let me down. He didn't say it, but he didn't have to._

_Nathan gulped for air, his throat feeling dry and cottony. He scanned the opposing team across the court. Why did they seem so much taller and so much more confident? And why did their jersey colors have to be such a menacing red?_

_"Yeah, number threeeee!"_

_Suddenly, it was as if he couldn't focus on anything else. It was like everything else had vanished from all his senses and all he could seek out was that voice. And the face that went to that voice. In the far right of the bleachers, almost near the very top row, was Haley. She stood on her tip toes, holding a plain white poster board that read, 'FEAR #3!' in black paint. His Uncle Keith sat beside her, with a silly look on his face; he looked a little embarrassed._

_He waved to acknowledge her and gave her a big smile, he couldn't help it. While it sucked that Lucas hadn't come, Nathan understood. His brother had admitted that he wanted to come, but he just wasn't ready to be near Dan, as he referred to his father. Nathan had been really upset at first. Actually, he'd gotten into his first real fight with his dad about it and of course, Deb had said something to Karen._

_It was Karen that had actually explained and helped him to realize that it was no one's fault, especially not Nathan's. She reminded him that Lucas would always support him because he was his brother, but he needed some time and asked for Nathan to be patient. The fact that Haley had volunteered to come in his brother's stead had helped also._

_Nathan ended up sitting out the whole game. And his team lost._

_His dad pulled Coach Branston aside and reamed him out with Nathan and some of his teammates watching. Uncle Keith ended up getting involved and offered to take Nathan with him. His dad hadn't even argued about taking him home; he was that mad. But in the end, Nathan could only remember it being a good night because Uncle Keith had taken him back to the café where he spent the rest of the evening eating ice cream sundaes and playing on the makeshift miniature golf course on the rooftop with Haley and Lucas._

* * *

"Wow, she looks… different," Haley commented, upon seeing one of the very last people she ever expected to see again.

But Lucas was distracted, understandingly so.

"Broo—dy!"

Brooke Davis ran towards the two of them, disregarding entirely everyone else in the airport terminal, and jumped right into Lucas's arms. Although Haley hadn't known Brooke that well in their brief time together in high school, it was still strange to see her have changed from a cheerleading uniformed teenager to a young woman. Haley watched the pair with amusement – she'd never seen her friend so smitten. Of course, she'd kind of missed out on the whole life-long-ambition-that-was-Brooke-Davis part of his life. Brooke had been the new girl during their sophomore year of high school. She'd arrived with a reputation that could compete with Lucas's history, which turned out to be mostly rumors anyway. And Haley had left right after Brooke's grand entrance to Tree Hill. She'd unfortunately missed the birth of what would be a bizarrely beautiful relationship.

With the Thanksgiving holiday right around the bend, Brooke had been granted a week off from her temporary assignment in Charleston. She was a designer for an interior design firm based out of South Carolina, but she usually worked from home. The two apparently had been maintaining an on again, off again type of friendship after college graduation. It had taken Brooke leaving for her six-month assignment, for the two to finally solidify their relationship. And so they maintained their temporarily long distance courtship, stronger than ever.

Lucas had decided to kill two birds with one stone by making their surprise trip to see Nathan's game a perfect opportunity for Haley to meet Brooke officially. He had his girlfriend rearrange her flight to meet them in Durham instead of Tree Hill. Then the three planned to eat a relaxing dinner, head straight to the game, bunk up at a nearby hotel, and drive home together the next morning.

"And you… must be Haley," she said severely, as she stuck her hand out to shake hers.

She reached her hand out reluctantly, briefing glancing at Lucas for support… or something.

"Oh my God, I'm totally kidding!" Brooke squealed and proceeded to pull Haley in for an overtly friend hug.

Haley was slightly stunned, but Lucas had prepped her pretty well for his girlfriend's enthusiastic personality.

"Nice to meet the woman who's got my friend wrapped around her little finger," Haley said approvingly.

She lightly elbowed Lucas in the chest who scowled at her.

"Where did you find her, Lucas? I think I'm in love!" Brooke gushed, hooking arms with Haley.

With a roll of his eyes, he followed them to the bag carousel.

* * *

Nathan was exhausted, but it was a happy exhaustion. He felt like he was floating from their third victory of the season, against Colgate. They had won by a lofty 52 points. After finishing up a quick final interview with a local reporter, he jogged towards the locker room.

After his shower, he dug around his locker, making sure he had everything, when he felt his phone vibrating.

"Hey," he answered. "Good timing," he said to his brother.

"Great, great game, man," Lucas said enthusiastically.

"You watched?" Nathan smiled to himself.

"Yeah, you could say that. Hey, hold on, someone wants to speak to you,"

"Nathan! Get your stinky ass out of the damn locker room, so I can buy you a celebratory drink. Plus, I need one too,"

"Brooke?"

"Uh, who else would it be? Hey, wait!" She exclaimed, as the phone was clearly being shuffled around.

"Since Brooke's charm was useless with security, we're outside in lot K, okay? We'll wait for you," Luke informed him.

He heard his brother's girlfriend cry out in indignation, before he hung up.

Nathan found them about five minutes later as he scanned the groups of remaining spectators and fans. He froze mid-stride when he realized that it wasn't just Lucas and Brooke that had come to watch him. There was Haley, bouncing from foot to foot with her hands deeply nestled into the front pocket of the Duke hoodie he'd given her; his hoodie. Her long blonde hair was covered with an appropriately blue knit cap that made her appear even younger. And she was laughing hysterically. It was mesmerizing.

"Hello? Nathan! We're freezing our asses off here!" Brooke waved at him frantically, being the first to have noticed him.

Haley watched Nathan approach them slowly. He looked extremely tired, and even mentally preoccupied.

"That was a sweet final three-pointer, man," Lucas said, slapping hands with him in greeting.

"You take longer than me to get ready," Brooke scolded him before giving him a bear hug.

Nathan didn't really feel like arguing with Brooke, which was a never-ending battle between them. He let her snarky comment slide anyway before finally giving his attention to Haley.

"Hey," she said kindly.

He approached her slowly, with a growing smile on his face. He took a fraction of a second longer in wrapping his arms around her, letting her head rest against his chest, before lifting her lightly from the ground.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he laughed when he saw her slightly flustered expression.

But she shrugged it off. "That happens to me entirely too much."

"Nice sweater," he remarked, tugging gently on the hood of the sweater.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I figured I'd keep it. Boys sweaters are always more comfy, anyway. Although, Brooke has me totally convinced that I look like a campus hobo."

She looked at Brooke pointedly.

"What? You totally do. I don't care, school spirit or not, sweats in general are heinous."

* * *

The four ended up bar hopping, along with the rest of the city, it seemed like. Nathan was recognized frequently and offered free drinks at every establishment they went to. While he drank a few, he gave them mostly to the girls and Luke. Eventually the evening began to die out, so the four returned to the hotel which was walking distance from the bar district.

"You three are staying in one room?" Nathan asked his brother, as he pressed the elevator button to their floor.

"Well, yeah. They were otherwise completely booked and we wanted a hotel that was less than 10 miles away from the stadium," he replied, before returning his attention to his girlfriend.

She was currently latched onto his shoulder, peppering kisses down his neck. He looked apologetically at Haley, who was about as tipsy as he was, though not nearly as much as his girlfriend. She was leaning back against the mirrored walls of the elevator, staring intently at her reflection from the opposite wall.

"Somehow, I don't think Brooke or Haley are going to like that," Nathan said emphatically. "Well, actually, Brooke probably doesn't give a shit at this point," he quipped.

"It's no big deal," Haley interjected. "I'll just sleep on the floor."

Nathan rubbed at the back of his neck, sighing. "Uh… I don't think you're going to get much sleep… anywhere in that room,"

Haley looked at him quizzically, but then the realization dawned on her face.

"Lucas!" She hissed, not wanting to grab Brooke's attention.

"What?" He hissed right back, while trying to keep his girlfriend upright.

She just glared at him threateningly, looking pointedly at Brooke. It wasn't that hard to read Haley's message.

"Brooke… Brooke! Hey! Brooke!" Nathan said, snapping his fingers at her.

"What?" She yelled back.

She was clearly distraught from her interrupted make out session with Lucas's neck. Gross.

"Are you planning on sleeping with Lucas tonight?"

"Nathan!" Lucas and Haley simultaneously yelled.

"Well I don't know about that…" she slurred slightly.

Haley sighed with relief.

"I don't think we'll be doing much sleeping," she said suggestively, practically purring into her boyfriend's neck.

* * *

Haley whistled loudly as she walked through the main living area.

"Nice place,"

Once they had gotten up to the hotel room, Brooke had taken no time in stripping her clothes off and running into the shower. It didn't take much convincing for Haley to end up going with Nathan back to his apartment and agreeing to stay the night there.

Nathan had noticed that aside from him, the three of them had gotten pretty drunk and so quickly. They didn't even drink that much. But considering the last time they ate something substantial was around eight hours ago, it was clear that it hadn't taken much.

He nudged his bedroom door open, taking Haley's overnight bag with him.

"Haley! That's my roommate's room!" He hissed at her, before she opened the wrong door.

She looked back at him with a sly look on her face. He dropped her bag, ran across the room, and lifted her in one arm, dragging her to his bedroom.

"What was that?" She exclaimed, now that the bedroom door was closed.

Nathan put a finger to his lips, trying to silence her.

"Skills is a teammate. He is probably dead asleep being that tonight was our third game this week. And even if he's not, his girlfriend's probably in there," he reasoned with her a little tiredly.

"I wasn't going to barge in on him," she said defensively, folding her arms across her chest.

He looked at her skeptically. She ignored him, sitting on the edge of his bed to remove her shoes. She sat there, hunched over, using her own feet to kick off her sneakers. Then, the reality of the situation struck him; here was Haley, in his bedroom, on his bed.

"Look um, do you want some water or something?" He said abruptly.

She shook her head 'no' and waved him off in response. She then slid to the far side of the bed, without even getting under the covers. He inhaled sharply, wanting to leave the room as fast as possible. Instead, he went over to his bed, coaxing Haley to move around a bit while he managed to get the comforter on top of her.

"Nathan?"

Surprised, he looked down at her, only to find her patting the space beside her.

He hesitated momentarily, but then sat down reluctantly close to the edge.

"Did you say your roommate's name is Skills?" she asked sleepily.

He laughed to himself.

"Haley, let me know if you need anything okay? I'm going to go sleep on the couch in the living room,"

Haley stirred at that, turning on her side. She tucked her hands underneath the side of her face, staring up at him.

"Wait… please don't go yet," she pleaded quietly.

As much as he needed to, Nathan found that he couldn't refuse her.

She relaxed noticeably, as he settled back against the headboard, hanging his feet over the edge of bed away from her.

"Do you remember the sleepovers we used to have a Luke's house?"

Nathan smiled. Of course he did.

"You are just as shy now as you were back then," she commented with a crooked smile.

Despite the tender look on her face, and the fact that she was completely clothed, he felt the familiar ache of desire growing his stomach. He sighed heavily, fighting his hormones. Of course he could control himself. He'd been in situations where girls were practically serving themselves on a platter and was still able to refuse. Haley wasn't even interested in him by a longshot, he knew that, but she drew him in like she had years ago. He hoped it was only the allure of having been his first crush.

"I remember… you would always wake me up in the middle of the night, to look at the stars, just for like a half hour, and then we'd go back to bed," he said, trying to keep the conversation going so his thoughts wouldn't veer off in the wrong direction.

"Yeah, I was a weird kid. Still am," she remarked before yawning lightly and shutting her eyes.

Watching her beginning to fall asleep, he realized how tired he was too.

"I didn't think you were weird. I thought you were…" he hesitated, sneaking another look at her. Seeing that she looked about ready to pass out, he continued, "I thought it was cool that you would share something like that with me. It wasn't like I was _your_ little brother that you were forced to hang out with. You just always chose to be there."

She was silent at that. Assuming she'd fallen asleep, he glanced at her. But she was looking up at him with a sad expression in her eyes.

"Lucas was never forced to hang out with you, Nathan,"

"Well, I know that now,"

"Good."

He felt the warmth of her finger tips as she pressed them on top of his. His breath hitched his throat at the feeling.

"I knew how important you were… and still are to Lucas. That makes you important to me too."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello readers! Enjoy this next chapter. I know this story is progressing slowly, but I hope you guys still stick around.

**Chapter 6**

Haley smiled endearingly at her parents. Her father had his arm over his wife's shoulder as she leaned into him assuredly. Jimmy and Lydia James were the epitome of true love, she believed. After almost 45 years of marriage, her parents still exuded the same affectionate glow they shared when she was growing up.

"Seriously, dad, are you really trying to grope mom while I talk to you?"

"Haley?" he said in an alarmed voice. "You didn't tell me the camera was on, Lydia," he stage-whispered to his wife.

"How can you guys not be Skype pros by now? I know you guys video chat with everyone at least once a month,"

"Oh, don't listen to your father. He knows exactly how to work Skype. He just forgets where we are sometimes. You know, the senility?" Lydia teased her husband.

Her father cleared his throat loudly, before asking, "How's life treating you, Baby James?"

Haley went back and forth with her parents, as she discussed their old friends and they talked about their grandkids. It was their second time talking since her move. Her family was very casual about keeping in touch, being that they were scattered across the world, literally. Aside from her globetrotter sisters, Vivian and Taylor, her three other siblings, Cameron, Kyle, and Quinn, were all dotted along the west coast. Cameron and his family lived in Seattle; Kyle had ended up settling near their parents, and Quinn and her husband lived and worked throughout California, going where their work took them.

Even though Haley had spent the least amount of time in Tree Hill, she had been only one out of her family to identify the most with their hometown.

"You need to get on Facebook," her mother advised.

Rolling her eyes playfully, she replied, "I refuse. I don't want all my business out there. Besides, Taylor's not even on it."

"Well, that's for everyone's benefit," her dad chimed.

She laughed, but couldn't help but to agree.

"So what do you guys have planned for Christmas eve? Are Cam and Tiffany bringing the kids?" Haley asked.

"Yep. And Kyle's bringing a girlfriend, apparently. Did I mention I'm doing a walnut loaf this year? I thought I'd try something different than the Tofurky."

"Sounds good," Haley said skeptically.

Over the recent years, her parents had adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, although her dad wasn't as strict about it. As understanding as she was, she still loved her steak and chicken, there was no questioning that.

"Honey, your father's gotta water the plants before it gets too hot," her mother said, looking pointedly at her husband.

Taking the hint, her father blew her a kiss, pecked his wife on the cheek, and got up to leave.

"Well, I won't hold you up any longer, I need to head out myself," Haley said, checking the time on the computer screen.

"Haley?"

She caught the tone of her mother's voice, and immediately recognized the concerned look etched in her face.

"I just wanted to let you know that… he's called several times in the past couple weeks,"

Haley sighed heavily. "I can't talk to him. I'm sorry, Mom, I just—"

"Don't worry about us, dear. I only wanted you to know. Whatever you choose to do, you know we will always respect your decision,"

She felt her throat dry a little, and her eyes moisten at her mother's supportive words.

"Thank you."

"We love you, Haleybop."

"I love you both," Haley said, the emotion thick in her throat.

She pressed two fingers to lips and back to her webcam. Her mom did the same.

"Tell everyone we say 'hello' and Merry Christmas. And tell Lucas to hurry up and marry that girlfriend of his, or else I'm coming down personally to fulfill my lifelong dream and marrying the two of you,"

"You just can't let it go," Haley replied with a sniffle and a welcome laugh.

* * *

Nathan lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of what used to be his bedroom. His mother still referred to it as his room, even though she'd taken down his various posters and covered the originally blue walls with eggshell paint. Now the barren walls held a few framed jerseys from his younger years and a couple of pictures of him with his parents. It looked more like a museum exhibit than a bedroom. It wasn't even comfortable being in this house anymore. But he was glad to be back in Tree Hill.

The team had just added to their winning streak by playing their eleventh game the night before. And while the glory felt fresh from last night's win, the reprieve from his strenuous basketball schedule was much needed. Nathan hadn't been able to break away for Thanksgiving. Two back-to-back games in Missouri had left him tight on time and too exhausted to travel, when he had to be in Oregon just three days after the holiday. He was thankful for his demanding schedule though. It had taken a lot of mental energy to focus on the game and he needed it.

Nathan found himself replaying the night that he'd spent with Haley. He'd woken up to her dewy, brown eyes, staring at him, just inches away on his bed. He had apologized profusely, explaining that he had planned to sleep out on the couch but had fallen asleep talking to her, which was the truth.

There was lot of nostalgia surrounding his feelings for her, he knew that. But he was also intrigued by the person he was slowly getting to know. Aside for his brother, Nathan rarely ever shared such personal information with anyone. But Haley drew it out of him. Maybe it was because she was a little tipsy, so she was less likely to remember, and maybe it was because she knew the shameful truth of his family's past, but there was something more. Since her return to Tree Hill, he'd only seen her twice, but every time he talked to Lucas, he'd mention her off-handedly. It only embedded her in his mind even more. She was one of biggest reasons he'd anticipated coming home so much.

After a quick shower, Nathan went down the kitchen to find a note from his mother on the counter.

**_Nathan,_**

**_I hope you got some sleep, I know how tired you must be. I'm going to be late tonight – I had to close some things at the dealership. Karen invited us for dinner tonight. I won't be able to make it, but maybe you'd like to go. _**

**_Call me if you need anything. _**

**_- Mom_**

**_PS – Call your dad, let him know you made it home OK. _**

Crumpling the note up, he tossed it easily into the trash can. He needed some food.

.

"Welcome to… Nathan!"

Nathan watched his aunt approach him from behind the counter, demanding a hug.

"Hi, Aunt Karen," he said charmingly, with a grin. "Got anything to eat around here?" He asked jokingly.

He ordered his usual, which Karen had ended up adding to the menu last year as the 'Number 23', which was a heaping plate of blueberry pancakes with her in-house blueberry syrup, eggs, bacon, and a side of her cheddar grits. He was humbled as much as he was honored, but he still refused to call it anything but 'the usual'.

"Nate!"

He turned just to time to see his little cousin running at him with arms spread wide. He bent down, lifting her up right into the air as she squealed giddily.

Lily was a little miracle in the Scott family. Despite all the challenges and heartache that had taken place within their family, she was a bit of glue that held everyone fast. Nathan had experienced that himself.

The summer after freshman year of high school had been miserable. It was one of the worst years between his parents. It was the year that his mom had quit her job with the non-profit organization so she could be at home more often. It was revealed that summer that while away on business, Deb had slept with a former coworker. It explained her suddenly quitting the job even though she denied it being the only reason. Ultimately, his mom ended up leaving him again. She went to stay at her parent's home in DC, on the cusp of ending their marriage. And Nathan was left to spend the entire summer alone with his tyrannical father as he tried to piece together the parts of his life he didn't understand. He was just 15, and trying to figure himself out, let alone his parents' sham of a marriage.

By the end of the summer, Nathan had grown over six inches, towering in at 6'2" and had improved his game tremendously. He'd finally become comfortable in his own skin and confident in measuring his strength. Knowing this, he had become extremely self-assured, too much even. Nathan had become a machine, eating right, exercising right, and mentally sealing off his emotions. He was tired of the grief and loss of love surrounding his life. So he found it other ways. He lost his virginity to one of the senior class cheerleaders. Then he slept with her best friend.

He became withdrawn, proud, and spiteful. And he created a rift between him and everyone around him, most especially Lucas.

.

_Lucas pulled into the Tree Hill High parking lot. It seemed just yesterday that these had been his stomping grounds. But being that it was mid-August, the school was deserted and gave off an eerie feeling of unfamiliarity._

_He, himself, had gotten his short-lived break just a few days ago. Lucas had taken two compressed summer courses in preparation for his third year at UNC. He wanted to wrap up at least a semester early if he could. So he was back, only for a couple of weeks, before he'd return for the fall semester. And yet, he still hadn't heard from his brother. Something was going on with him; that was obvious. But neither Keith nor his mom had let on to anything, other than encouraging Lucas to reach out to him._

_Approaching the Whitey Durham field house, he could immediately recognize the sound of scuffing sneakers and the rhythm of the basketball across the gym floors._

_Luca hesitated momentarily, not recognizing his own brother. Nathan's build had matured significantly – he was taller, taller than him, it seemed and his frame looked like he put on at least 30 pounds of muscle. And there was something unsettling about the perfection of his form._

_"Nathan!"_

_His younger brother paused for a second with his back still facing him, before landing the ball with ease through the hoop; nothing but net._

_Lucas came towards the basket, grabbing the ball before Nathan could._

_"I need to practice," Nathan said._

_"You're a pretty hard guy to get a hold of," Lucas said evenly._

_"I've been busy. Not like you've been around anyway,"_

_Lucas narrowed his eyes, confused by his brother's demeanor._

_"I'm sorry I haven't been around. I mean, I was away at school though. You know that." Nathan didn't answer him. He just stood there with his arms tight across his chest, the muscles corded tight around his forearm._

_"The hell's going on, Nate? You haven't talked to me all summer long! I mean, I understand if you've been busy. But you don't return any of my calls or my emails and I've been back for three days…"_

_Nathan shrugged, focusing on the ball in his brother's hands._

_"So, what? You just don't give a shit? Is that it?"_

_"Don't pretend like you actually do," he retorted mockingly._

_Lucas stopped to think for a second, trying to understand. Instead, he suddenly reared back and chucked the basketball as far as he could into the stands behind Nathan. He looked at him for some kind of real reaction, anything. He remained in the same spot, instead letting his hands fall to the side, closing in threatening fists and his clenching his jaw._

_"What's going on with you?" Lucas asked, searching for some sort of answer in his brother's cold, hard eyes._

_"It's none of your business. Since when do you give a fuck anyway?"_

_"Since I've suddenly become your enemy. I'm worried about you. Maybe that's why I give a fuck."_

_"You try to act like such a saint, man. But, I know how you really feel about me. You hate me just as much as you hate him. In fact, everyone does. Everyone thinks that I'm the kid that lucked out and you're the kid who was supposed to be nothing more than a bed stain,"_

_Lucas froze. If he had been a few years younger, his knee jerk reaction would have been to punch Nathan in the face. But all he could feel at that moment was the disappointment and hurt. Where was this anger coming from? He knew that since he'd started college, they didn't spend as much time together. But the Nathan that stood before he was a darkly twisted version of the brother he knew. He pressed his lips in a tight line and shook his head up and down slowly; not because he actually understood, but because he was done. He left Nathan standing in the gym, stoic and statue-like and all alone. Line here_

_Even after finding out the truth from Keith about the reason behind Nathan's recent behavior, Lucas continued to keep his fair distance from his brother. He had buried Nathan's comment and kept it to himself. But every time he thought about reaching out to his brother, it dug up old memories that he'd repressed._

_It was that following December, that Lucas learned that his mother was four weeks pregnant. _

_On June 18th, Karen collapsed at home, luckily while Lucas was nearby in the kitchen. He took her to the hospital, calling his step-father to meet him there. And within the next twenty hours, Lily Roe Scott was delivered into the world, unaware that she was six weeks too early. _

_Nathan shuffled slowly down the dimly lit corridor passing a small sign that read Neonatal Intensive Care. He spotted Lucas, his glowing reflection on the glass window revealing his worried expression. He appeared older, and much more mature than Nathan could ever be. Things had just not been same since last summer. He wished for so many things at that moment, knowing that he had control of none. Instead, he stood there beside his brother, praying in their shared silence. _

_ "Hey… hey, man," Lucas said, his voice thick from disuse. _

_His older brother continued to stare blankly into the window. _

_ "I'm sorry," Nathan apologized. _

_Lucas laughed lamely, "About what?" _

_He sighed, having been dreading this conversation for some time now. But it needed to be done. "I'm sorry about being a dick… about taking out all my problems on you. You didn't deserve it. You definitely don't deserve this," _

_Nathan watched his brother's reflection carefully, somewhat shocked at the quivering glassiness of his eyes. _

_ "We're all still trying to figure it out… you know? How it's all supposed to work or whatever. I know that in a lot of ways, I'm still a stranger to you. I understand that there are missing years. By the time we met, I wasn't a kid anymore and I don't think you were either. So I get that you don't want me involved in your life sometimes. But I want you to know that, I don't care for you any less than I do for my… my sister right now," _

_Nathan tensed at his brother's admission. _

_ "I know it's not easy, watching your parents suffer. As much as you hate what happened between them… I hate what happened to my mom, you know? I mean, who wouldn't? But, everything happens for a reason. I can… finally… see that now. If life hadn't played out the way it did, I wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be here. Dan gave me a brother I wouldn't have had otherwise. But for years I could never justify in my mind what was possibly planned for my mom… until today." _

_He stared at his older brother as something unraveled in him a little. It was unnerving to be the recipient of something you knew you didn't deserve. _

_They both looked up when they saw someone running towards them. It was Keith. They two boys straightened up, bracing for whatever news he had to bear. He had tears streaming down his face. _

_ "Lily's stable. She's breathing… she's… she's going to be fine," _

_He hugged both boys, laughing joyously. _

_That was the first time Nathan had ever cried tears of pure joy. _

_._

As he waited for his food, he greeted some of the familiar patrons, answering their typical questions about his school year and basketball season. And when he did eat, his little cousin sat with him, coloring and illustrating her imagination straight onto paper.

"Who's that, Lil?"

He pointed to a girl with yellow hair and a green dress. She was a new addition to her usual family portraits of her family, Deb, and him.

"That's Miss Haley," she said, oblivious to the stunned look on his face.

"She looks very pretty,"

"Oh, she is! I think she is Luke's girlfriend!" She sing-songed, then giggled loudly.

Nathan blanched at that a little. "But… don't you remember Brooke?"

She made a face at him in response. "Miss Brooke is scary,"

He tried so hard not to laugh at that. "I know. But, don't you remember? Brooke is Lucas's girlfriend,"

"Oh," she replied a little sadly. Then, her eyes lit with realization. "Is Miss Haley _your_ girlfriend then?"

He groaned inwardly. Way to get called out by a seven-year-old.

"Lily,"

Karen appeared at their table with a fresh coffee pot, she had a warning look in her eyes.

"I'm just wondering!" Lily exclaimed.

He smiled as he watched her pout, continuing to color with much less enthusiasm.

"No, she's not my girlfriend," he said, appeasing his little cousin.

His aunt poured him more coffee, rolling her eyes at the way her daughter perked up at this revelation.

"Do you want her to be?" She asked excited.

"Uh uh. I think that's enough of bothering your cousin." Karen said firmly.

This time, Lily didn't argue back.

"Go put your crayons away. Your daddy's gonna pick you up soon for dance class,"

"Yes ma'am," she replied. "Here, Nate, you can keep this one," she said proudly, handing him the coloring of her new rendition of their family.

The two watched her scurry away, obviously excited by the prospect of her beloved dance class.

"You are just as bad as Lucas when it comes to spoiling her," Karen said.

She poured herself a cup of coffee as she sat across from him. It was a slower part of the day, so there were no more patrons bustling in and out.

"It's that Scott charm, Aunt Karen. Completely irresistible,"

"Tell me about it," she said, mostly to herself.

He looked at her apologetically, not realizing the double implication behind his statement. She seemed to notice and smiled encouragingly at him. Forgiveness was something his aunt was known for.

"So, where did Lily get the idea that Haley's your girlfriend?"

"Well, when I told her that she wasn't Lucas's girlfriend, I guess she was looking to play matchmaker or something,"

Karen laughed.

"Haley could do with a gentleman like you," she said absently.

The comment sat well with him, though. It was a nice idea at the least. When he looked back up at his aunt, however, she was giving him a knowing smile, one that unsettled the good feeling he'd been having just a second ago.

"She has always been a special person in our lives. Even as a little girl, she had such a big heart. Part of it was her upbringing, but it also had a lot to do with who she was deep down."

"She hasn't really changed much then," Nathan admitted freely.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. There are certain things, Nathan, that get even better with age,"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hi everyone, if you're in the states, hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! If you're international - hope you're having a lovely summer! :) Thanks for following this story. I appreciate feedback, like Anonymous requesting more Naley interaction. I will try to increase the amount and put more focus on their relationship. I know there was a lot of individual character development as well as their interaction with other characters. Enjoy!

**Chapter 7**

"Does this look okay?"

Nathan rolled his eyes, listening to his brother play dress up with his girlfriend. He briefly glanced up at his brother, who had on a button-up shirt and tie, partially tucked into his jeans. Brooke looked like she was actually thinking for once.

"That looks retarded." He commented, returning his attention to the play station.

"He's right, babe," she admitted apologetically.

"Brooke has got you so whipped, you're this close to becoming gay," he said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together for emphasis.

"Uh, the fact that I wanna dress nice for my girl? Kinda takes away the gay factor," Lucas retorted.

"If that's your story," he replied.

It got suspiciously quiet, so he turned around to find the two practically making out. He grabbed a couch pillow and threw it at them.

"Come on! I'm sitting right here!"

Suddenly there was a stand-off as Lucas picked up the pillow off the floor and Nathan stood with the other pillow from the couch. They stayed that way for a long minute, when the front door opened.

"Uh… did I miss something?"

Haley appeared at the doorway, confused by the sight before her.

"Lucas and Nathan are fighting over me again," Brooke chirped, laughing.

"In your dreams, Brooke," Nathan said lamely as he put his pillow down.

He didn't like acting like such a dumbass in front of Haley.

"Well, I have to pee like a race horse. I'll be right back!" Haley said.

She threw off her coat, revealing a pair of black leggings, an off-the-shoulder sweater and boots. Nathan thought she looked natural, comfortable, and alarmingly beautiful.

As soon as she was down the hall, Lucas tossed the pillow at his face.

"The hell was that for?"

"Revenge. Also… uh… never mind," Lucas replied.

Nathan looked at his brother's girlfriend for a clue, but she just held a really wicked smile on her face.

He shut off the console and stood up stretching. His brother's girlfriend had arranged a reunion at one of the downtown bar and lounges for some of their friends from high school that were back in town. Even though he was going with his brother, he was sure that a lot of his friends from his graduating class would be there as well, considering that Tric was the only place worth partying at in Tree Hill. He'd already talked to a couple of friends who'd confirmed their attendance.

The downtown area wasn't too far, so the car ride was short. As Brooke sang along loudly to Christmas songs on the radio, Nathan and Haley sat in the back in a suffocating silence. She was unusually quiet tonight.

"Haley?"

She stopped staring out the window to peer up at him. He looked really worried.

"What's up?" She popped the 'p', an attempt at being cheerful.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

He was leaning into her, close to her ear. He didn't want to draw too much attention if she wasn't feeling good. When he looked at the rearview mirror, his brother looked at him briefly with a strange expression.

Haley stared at him, surprised that he'd picked up on her mood.

"What? Oh, yeah. Yes, Nathan I'm fine," she replied somewhat awkwardly.

"I know you don't know these people as well as Lucas or Brooke or even I do. So, if you feel like heading out early, just let me know."

She smiled at him, touched by his kindness.

"Thanks."

* * *

Nathan kept a watchful eye on Haley as she sat at a private booth with his brother and his friends. He was concerned about her demeanor tonight. She just wasn't acting her usual self. But she seemed okay at the moment, as she smiled at the new group of people. He knew some of them pretty well, but some of his friends had shown up tonight as well, so he was throwing back a few drinks with them.

"Look at all this fine ass. And I can't have none of it," Tim said sadly.

He threw back the rest of his beer, peering out at the dance floor.

Nathan smirked, taking a drink from his own beer. "Even if you weren't engaged, you still couldn't have any of it,"

Tim hit him in the chest with an amused look on his face. "Whatever, you're one to talk. You gotta get the girl to talk smack, bro."

Nathan shrugged, "I mean, it's cool that you want to get married so young and all. But that just ain't me."

"Trust me man, one day, it will be." His friend said faithfully.

Not too long ago, Tim had been the ultimate wingman for Nathan; even when Nathan had been the worst of friends. Tim Smith had been a former teammate on the high school basketball team. And he'd been a great power forward, but his grades had been such shit he barely passed. He ended up get a degree in criminal justice at the local community college, before deciding to enlist in a police academy in South Carolina. Bizarre as that was, he'd also wound up meeting the love of his life down there and proposing to her just a few months ago. As much as he was still the fun-loving, raunchy-humored guy he knew from high school, Tim Smith had grown. And he'd managed to leave basketball behind.

Nathan was impressed, enviously so.

He caught up with a few other former Ravens Varsity players, some that were in town for the season, others that had never left. And he saw a lot of his old school mates who were in town for the season, most of whom he didn't remember, but recognized him for his basketball career at Duke. But instead of bolstering his ego, it was a harsh reminder that he was not very different from the person he was in high school.

Haley glanced around the table as the group conversation had branched out. A few of Lucas and Brooke's friends were dancing, and a couple of the guys had decided to weather the cold for a cigarette.

Staring at the whiskey and diet coke in her hand, she threw it back quickly, deciding to stick with another drink for the rest of the night.

When she looked up, she caught eyes with Chase, one of Lucas's best friends from school, and someone she could vaguely remember from middle school. Brooke had been bragging on him to Haley. There was some heavy match-making going on, which was a little awkward. He smiled sheepishly, as if he'd been caught, glancing away quickly and looking back again. It would be cute, if it wasn't a little creepy.

"Do you want another drink?" He asked.

"Sure," she shrugged.

Instead of waiting for a server to come around, she got up, gesturing to head over to the bar. Haley led the way, feeling his fingers occasionally brushing the lower part of her back.

Since the bar was so overcrowded, she sat at a pub table with two seats as she waited for him to bring back their drinks. Haley noticed Nathan, surrounded by his peers. Both girls and guys seemed to look at him with admiration, pressing around him like a feeding frenzy. She was fully aware of what playing for Duke meant around a small basketball-crazed town like Tree Hill. But she wondered how he was not overwhelmed, if not tired of it all. He carried himself confidently, smiling at the right time, laughing at the right jokes. Nathan held the limelight well.

"Here you go," Chase said, sitting two bottles onto the table. He eased into the empty stool across from her.

"Thanks. You didn't have to buy it for me," she said.

"I know. I wanted to."

Haley conversed lightly with Chase. He was a nice guy, who seemed somewhat interested. He was kind of a pushover, but nice, nonetheless. And if Lucas and Brooke vouched for him, then that was fine. She just really wasn't looking.

She politely excused herself to the use the restroom, after having shared two more drinks with him.

Exiting one of the stalls, she stopped in her tracks, gasping at the sight of a girl hunched forward in the mirror. She had a long, lithe frame with curly blonde hair. Several other women in line gave her a strange look, one of them pushing her way past to use the now empty stall. The blonde turned around, with an equally perplexed expression. Haley realized that she did not know this girl. The girl left the bathroom, and Haley stood there, staring at her own reflection in the mirror instead.

Splashing some water on face, she took several deep breaths trying to relax her nerves. It wasn't working. Instead, she suddenly felt very drained and tired. She just needed to go home.

She stood there by the hall where the bathrooms were hidden, trying to look through the crowd for her friends. Heading back to the bar, she ordered a beer, wanting to do something other than standing around like an idiot. Just as she was finishing her drink, she found Brooke and Lucas dancing closely on the dance floor. Despite the quick pulse of the music, they moved together slowly and intimately, as if no one was around. She was happy for her best friend for finding the perfect partner, but there was still a dull ache of jealousy, even anger, inside of her. She wanted that.

"Haley?"

Nathan was staring down at her, concern clear in his dark eyes.

"Haley," he said again. He cupped the side of her face with one hand and swiped her cheek with his thumb. "You're crying."

She stared up at him, alarmed by the feel of his hand, but did not pull away.

Despite the size and roughness of his fingers, he held her face gently. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling relaxed and comforted by his touch. Covering his hand with her own, she pulled his hand down into hers.

"Let's get outta here," she said with a sad smile.

* * *

The cab ride had been silent back to Lucas's place. Both Haley and Nathan had driven and parked there, except, neither of them was fully capable of driving home. Since Nathan always had a copy of Luke's house keys, they both agreed to sober up a bit before heading their separate ways.

Nathan brought each of them a water bottle from the kitchen, pausing before sitting beside a forlorn Haley, staring at the television.

"Thanks," she said softly, accepting the water.

"So… are we just going to ignore what happened?" Nathan asked, staring down at his hands.

She didn't answer.

"What's wrong, Haley?" He tried again.

"Nathan, I'm just drunk, okay. There's nothing wrong."

Her answer was curt. She obviously didn't want to discuss this.

With all the courage he could muster, he slid his hands into hers, interlacing them. It was the boldest he'd ever been with her, physically. She looked down at them, shock registering on her face.

"Hales," he said in a soft, but urging voice.

When she looked at Nathan, she realized how much he did care about her. She also realized that Nathan was definitely not that young boy she once knew, as much as she tried to relate to him that way. It matured him to hear him say her name that way. He was a man, and she couldn't help in reacting to the way his strong hands enveloped hers or how his full lips parted in anticipation at her response. So she pulled away from him. She chided herself for her impure thoughts. He was five years her junior for God's sake… not to mention her friend's younger brother.

She could see the hurt in his expression. And she could understand why. He was just trying to be helpful.

"Don't look at me that way, Nathan," she said with a forced smile.

She started to get up, but he captured her wrist this time, eliciting another surprised look on her face.

"Why have you been acting so strange all night? Why were you crying?"

"Nathan… there's… there are just some things you don't know about me," she sighed, pulling her hand away.

"So, tell me,"

"I can't. I… don't want you to think of me… differently. I don't want anyone to," she replied feebly.

"Why would anyone think of you differently? I don't even think anyone has the right to judge you. Of all the people I've ever known, you have the most purest of hearts. I know this… and I don't even know you that well."

Nathan looked into her eyes, willing her to accept his reassurance.

But when she looked back at him, there was a hardness to her brown eyes.

"You're right, Nathan, you don't know me that well."

.

_Haley lay on the loveseat, sipping on a soothing mug of tea, as she scribbled in her journal. She found herself very short of inspiration ever since she'd moved out of her parents' home and into a quaint east L.A. rental with two roommates. She'd been there for almost seven months now, working as a Teacher's Assistant at a private Catholic school and tutoring on the side. She was 24 years old, and after two years of part-time work completely unrelated to her degree, the TA job had been a get-out-or-die-trying card she'd been granted, after months and months of job seeking. She lucked out when her sister Quinn, was able to refer her to a friend of a client who was looking for another tenant. And that's how she'd ended up moving in with Julian Baker and Peyton Sawyer._

_Julian was awe-inspiring. And aside from his clean cut of hair, he was all California – the way he talked, the way he moved, what he believed in, his talents, pretty much everything. He was a video producer and editor, working for an underground production company, while establishing a network of both musical and acting talent. He was effortlessly confident and easy-going, but deep down he carried an undeniable desire for the things he wanted. And because of that, she could tell that he was zealous when he needed to be. Everything about him intrigued her._

_And Peyton was a transplant, like her, only from a conservative, mid-western town. She was an aspiring actress, singer, and dancer. She'd come to Los Angeles for the all-time dream of performing and being beautiful for a living. And she was beautiful. She had big, curly blonde hair, cat-like green eyes, and the body of a runway model._

_Her roommates had met at some after-party and while he'd fallen for her tart mouth and long legs, she'd been immediately enraptured by his charming persona and even more charming career._

_But they were struggling much like any young couple in pursuit of a dream, so to them, Haley had been a bit of a godsend. The three of them got along fairly well, although her schedule didn't exactly match theirs. On most evenings where they were out networking and partying, she was tutoring for some of her private school students or grading papers. As glamorous as it seemed, their lifestyles just didn't appeal to her, other than the fact that they were both pursuing things they were passionate about. That, she could appreciate._

_As much as they complimented each other, Haley really couldn't see them dating beyond the next few years, much less getting hitched. They argued a lot. Most of the time, their arguments circled around the fact that Peyton was struggling to get the jobs she wanted. And every time their fighting had reached its peak, Peyton would disappear for a few days, without so much as a call, only to reappear with a half-hearted apology. Haley had witnessed it._

_She liked Peyton, as an individual, as she did Julian. But together, they seemed to only bring out the worst in each other._

_She heard the door open and close as Julian appeared in the living room with a brown bag, clinking with glass._

_"What are you doing here?" Haley asked in amazement, sitting up properly._

_He shrugged. "What do you think? She got bitchy, I got pissed, and she ran off. Just ditched me at Ian's party,"_

_Walking to the kitchen, he slid the bag on the counter and began pulling out a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of rum._

_"So… you decided to bring the party home?" She asked sarcastically._

_"You want one?"_

_Haley eyed him warily, as he prepared glasses with the ice, liquor, and diet coke, methodically. Aside from the fact that he'd just told her, she couldn't believe that he and Peyton had had another blowout. He was so calm and collected. Even though she hadn't answered if she actually wanted a drink, he brought her a glass anyway, setting it on the coffee table. Lifting her legs, he sat down on the couch, and placed them back in his lap._

_With Julian, he had a certain way of doing things. He did things that she considered to be intimate, sometimes affectionate, without a care in the world. And Haley had admitted to herself well over a month ago that despite the wrongness of it, sometimes, it felt right._

_"What're you working on here?" He said, gesturing to the journal now face down in her lap._

_"It's nothing." She was quick to answer._

_He snatched it off her lap, disregarding her protests. Not that she was really trying. She was distracted by the feel of her bare feet against the jean material covering his thighs. She needed to stop._

_Swiveling around, she dropped her feet on the ground and reached for her drink. The cheap whiskey tasted smoky and disgustingly sweet with the mixture of soda, but she took two big swigs anyway._

_She waited patiently, staring at the ice cubes cracking, and finally succumbing to the dark liquid in the glass. All she could hear was the faint sound of music playing from one of the neighbor's houses and the occasional page fluttering as Julian looked through her notebook. By the time she looked up at him, she had already polished off her entire glass. He was staring at her as if seeing her for the first time._

_"What is this?" _

_He'd closed the book and was tapping on the hardbound cover with his finger._

_"I said, it's nothing. Just some… poetry, I guess."_

_"This is… this is brilliant stuff."_

_She blushed at his compliment. She'd never heard him say something so enthusiastically before._

_"I mean, I'm no expert, but… you should totally bring this to Vince,"_

_Vince was a friend of Julian's, involved somehow in the music industry. At one point, he'd been kind of interested in Haley. But Julian's friends were usually older, like him, closer to their 30's, which ironically meant that they were usually just looking for someone to keep their beds warm._

_"Vince? As in the guy that totally fell through for Peyton?"_

_This was also the same guy who was supposed to help Peyton with getting some studio time and recording a demo. That had never happened. Julian rolled his eyes. "That's 'cause that's not his… thing, I guess. He doesn't find talent. He writes for them," _

_Noticing that his glass was now empty too, she grabbed it and went to make more drinks. He followed her, still clutching the journal._

_"Haley, these poems could easily be songs,"_

_This time, she rolled her eyes. As soon as she set the glasses down, he tugged her towards him. Her wrist burned from where his fingers had touched her. But he didn't notice as he returned his attention to the journal, flipping through the pages._

_"This one, this one here… it's so soulful. I had no idea you could write like this,"_

_She laughed it off. "It's just poetry."_

_But his expression was stoic. "It's not just poetry,"_

_Why was he being so adamant about this? Why did he care so much? Why couldn't he just stick to caring about his girlfriend?_

_"Look, Jules, I'm not a poet, barely a writer… and I'm definitely not a song writer. I'm not talented like you and Peyton—"_

_"She's not talented!" he blurted out._

_She narrowed her eyes in confusion, and then furrowed her brows in anger._

_"Don't involve me in whatever is going on with you and your girlfriend," she warned, before she grabbed her journal from his hands. "And stop projecting whatever this is on my life."_

_She glared at him angrily. He looked just about as upset. And it was so rare to see him this way. He walked towards her, backing her against the counter, before he cornered her with his arms on either side of her._

_And then she let him kiss her._

_They avoided each other for the rest of the weekend, both anticipating Peyton's return. She came home on that following Tuesday with no explanation and then everything was back to normal. No break up. And definitely no kiss._

.

Nathan unfolded an extra blanket on Haley as she burrowed into the sofa. Her cellphone slid out from under, making a loud crack on the floor. Nathan winched at the noise, but it didn't seem to disturb her. He picked it up, and it immediately began vibrating in his hands. There were 13 missed calls from an out-of-area number. There were also several texts; the most recent one flashed on the screen simply saying, _I miss you_.


End file.
